Dish Gardens 101: Types and Plants

Believe it or not, there are different types of dish gardens. Each type is based on the kinds of plants used. One key to a successful dish garden is to group like plants together.

Succulent Dish Gardens

A succulent is a plant with "thick, heavy leaves" that store water, especially in dry, arid, and desert climates. Examples of succulents include the aloe vera plant your mom or grandma used to keep on her kitchen counter so she could apply the cool gooey secretion inside to burns. Other succulents include cacti, euphorbia, Christmas cacti, hens-and-chicks, jade plants, and snake plants (also called mother-in-law's tongue).

Succulents in a dish garden do well if they are treated the way the plants need to be handled individually. They need bright, indirect light (don't broil the plants to death). Also, wait until the soil dries out between waterings for best results. (Look here for more information about the care and maintenance of succulent dish gardens. The information is written for New Mexico, but Colorado has a similar climate. Inquire at Paul Wood Florist or with your local garden center for specific requirements.)

Tropical Dish Gardens

From one extreme to the other, we go from desert to the tropics. Tropical plants are simply those that prefer the climate nearest the Equator: plenty of water (but don't over-water or leave plants sitting in water) and medium to bright, indirect light (depending on the plant, since some tropical plants grow beneath the canopy and get less sun than others). These plants also do very well in dish gardens.

Examples of plants that tend to be more "tropical" include anthurium, ivy, palms, nephthytis, pothos, and African violets. As always, check with someone at Paul Wood Florist or your local garden center for the most climate-specific recommendations for tropical plants and how to care for them.

"Everything Else" Dish Gardens

Dish gardens simply do best when all their plants are similar. If you try to cluster a succulent beside a tropical plant, for example, or a plant that needs high water with a plant that needs very little water, you've made maintaining your dish garden far more difficult than it has to be.

Call or come in to Paul Wood Florist today to speak with someone about the best dish garden plants for your home or office. We're happy to help!